by Amy Jo Howard, N.D.
There is a saying that the microcosm reflects the macrocosm. The microcosm is the small world; you are a microcosm. The macrocosm is the bigger world around you. It could be your environment; it could be the universe!
Look at what’s going on around you and the state of the world today. There are both positives and negatives. In this newsletter, one of our goals is to teach you how to shield your microcosm: in other words, how to protect yourself from the negative aspects of the world we live in, such as immune system challenges, vaccinations, electromagnetic frequency pollution, kidney stones, and parasites.
As people who live and practice natural health, it is important that we attune ourselves to the rhythm of nature. Fall is the beginning of a new season: the daylight declines; the weather turns colder. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is a time to release the old and what no longer serves a purpose and discover what is meaningful and possible. The element of metal is associated with fall, and metal governs organization, order, setting limits, and protecting boundaries. It is a time to be more introspective, to really come inside and tune in to your body and to reflect on your life.
The lungs and the large intestine are the organs represented by the metal element. Eating an excess of cold and raw foods at this time of year creates dampness, which is stored by the lungs. Dairy products, especially, add to dampness in the body. All of the dampness will create colds, coughs, runny noses, and other respiratory issues. Try to eat warming foods and spices like pumpkins, squash, garlic, ginger, horseradish, and onions. Using a Neti Pot will also help to rid the nose and sinuses of excess mucus.
The emotion that comes to surface at this time is letting go. Look at the trees in autumn. The leaves ripen, then they let go. Physically, when you don’t let go, you can become constipated (large intestine). Also, if you don’t let go, you don’t have room to take in (breathe in) life (lungs). There are many flower remedies to assist you in letting go. Bleeding Heart helps you let go of unhealthy relationships; Chestnut Bud allows you to release old habits and patterns; Dandelion lets you release tension stored in the muscles; Filaree enables you to release trivial worries that are draining you; Honeysuckle helps you to let go of the past; Pink Monkeyflower allows you to release shame, rejection, and emotional fears; and Yerba Santa enables the release of past emotional traumas.
Here is another key to shielding your microcosm: many quantum physicists believe that the inner world also helps to create the outer world. Everything is energy, even our thoughts, our feelings, and our emotions. Our thoughts and feelings, then, are not ours alone; they are part of the universe of energy, contributing to the creation of the universe. So, if we don’t like what we see in the macrocosm, we need to start working on the microcosm. What would you like to create in the universe? What would you like to create in your world?
At this time for introspection, focus on the positive changes you would like to see in your world. Anytime is a great time for meditation, and yet, it is especially important now as you turn inward and bring your attention to the things in nature that support our lives and our health. What energies vibrate at the highest frequency? All of these tools that we use (organic foods, pure water, herbs, essential oils, flower remedies, homeopathics, exercise, etc.) and all of the truths that we feel have been provided for us by the macrocosm. To keep all of our worlds healthy and thriving, we need to support nature in our microcosm; this is our best protection and our best way to make the changes we need for ourselves and to help the world return to a state of healing and wholeness.
